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Well, I could go to IKEA. But whenever I visit that place, I always feel like I'm entering a factory of mass-produced, flimsy furniture. I could visit other retailers, but I have to travel to far too many places that are too far just to browse.
And if I still can't find anything I like, there's also the option of calling up interior design studios and asking them to build me my own. But the prices in that market range in the millions.
And then there's Handkrafted. It's an online community for custom-built furniture. But unlike other retailers, they offer bespoke furniture at sensible prices. Just visit the site, and see what I mean.
Unlike most online homeware stores (or any, for that matter), Handkrafted focuses on connecting the mass-market with skilled artisans and custom-built high-class furniture. Basically, it's a two way marketplace: craftspeople can sell their products online, or— this is great— get commissioned to build tailored ones.
Independent makers like woodworkers, metallurgists, or even the small family furniture business can sign up and sell via the online store— a little like selling through eBay. But if you're looking for your own custom couch, table or cutlery, you can post a brief. All you have to do is list the specifics of what you want, and Handkrafted will connect you with an artisan willing to build it.
The products Handkrafted offers are extremely aesthetically pleasing, and I like the fact that their branding centers on this.
Handkrafted is quite a fresh take on selling homeware online— making custom-built quality furniture no longer exclusive to the wealthy. And the fact that it's giving a platform for indie makers to sell makes it altogether an enticing marketplace.
Handkrafted Pty Ltd started in Sydney on February 2014 with a seed funding of about $100,000. Their current business model is like that of Etsy's— provide an online CMS for makers and consumers to interact with, while taking a percentage commission for every purchase. In other words, they operate like an eCommerce business.
Essentially, they have two customers: those looking to buy furniture, and those looking to sell. Handkrafted would act as the medium between them, while handling payments, material sourcing, marketing, communication and shipping.
On revenue streams: consumers can buy products in the traditional way, otherwise pay a bit extra when they prefer to build custom. On the makers' side of things, they can sign up for free, or pay a monthly premium to get better visibility and publicity on their website.
All in all, Handkrafted is essentially a marketplace for independent craftspeople to sell their talents, while operating as an online furniture retailer.
Unfortunately, because there is very little demand for furniture by Australian consumers, they're yet to gain any heavy traction. What's keeping them from scaling is their appeal to a small target audience.
So Handkrafted has been partnering with other companies to promote their public image. Although the video above is an ad for wine, you can get a sense of their passion and the way they feel about handcrafted goods.
But Handkrafted doesn't sell furniture for the sake of it. Their real purpose, according to founder Fred Kimel, is to inspire society into a more ‘conscious consumerism’.
Fred Kimel built Handkrafted because wants people to “buy less, and buy well”. He wants a world where people choose to buy things that last, understand the story behind the products they buy, and rid of today's ignorant throwaway attitudes.
It's a great cause, and I believe Handkrafted chose the right market for their purpose. Furniture is supposed to last for years, but they've found that a lot of the cheap, poor-quality homeware the people buy today end up in landfills due to damage.
Aside from a focus on producing durable products, Handkrafted is responsible for sourcing and providing sustainable materials. They're working with companies like Second Origin to reuse old timber and provide recycled hardwood. And for every woodworked item they sell, they plant 50 trees as a part of managing their carbon footprint.
I see an opportunity for Handkrafted to fully move towards recycling as a major part of their business. They could offer to accept damaged furniture and re-purpose them into new well-designed products.
That way, customers only have to pay for the labour and get professional craftspeople to make once flimsy furniture look great and last longer.
Furniture is meant to be passed down from generation to generation— and that's why Handkrafted puts time-honoured labour on a pedestal. For them, it means they can build a society rid of disposable products. And for me, it means I don't ever have to visit IKEA.
All photos and videos have been supplied by Handkrafted under a BY-NC-SA Creative Commons License. The content within the screen shots are copyright respective of their creators.
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